Grouse Thicket You'll never know what hit you

Perhaps some would feel uncomfortable under the glare of a stranger, but Malice was not one of most. She allowed him to look, which probably gave him the courage to say what he had said to the Lady of the Isle. Her yellow eyes opened further, the one with the scar squinting a little more than the other. Flattery will not get you in my To-Do list. She answered, perhaps a little coldly. Yes, flattery had gotten her somewhere, but she was a nice special snowflake had had it easy. Burke had been a broken man and needed a woman in his life, and she was just in the right place at the right time. This man was not so lucky - Malice did not need anything from him. In fact, she probably had more to offer him than the other wat around.

There is. She answered, a bit surprised. She did not usually get comments on her scar since most knew to avoid the topic. Not even her children had seemed to mind. But it is not a very nice one. She specified, already knowing that she would not tell him the whole story anyway. He was barely a friend, and was not even part of the Retreat they had formed on their island.